‘Sweeney Todd’ to hit WCU stage Nov. 10-13

“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” a story of revenge and greed and how they can crush the human spirit, will stage Thursday, Nov. 10, through Sunday, Nov. 13, at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center on the campus of Western Carolina University.

“Sweeney Todd,” a University Theatre Mainstage production, will show at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday.

Written by Hugh Wheeler with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, the play won eight Tony Awards and two Golden Globe Awards and is acknowledged as one of the most acclaimed theatrical works of the 20th century. The play tells the story of Sweeney Todd, formerly exiled and recently returned to the seedy underworld of 19th-century London. A barber, he exercises revenge for past wrongs on his unsuspecting customers, finding a willing accomplice in Mrs. Lovett, the owner of a pie shop.

WCU musical theater majors Tierney Cody, a sophomore from Asheville, and Peter O’Neal, a junior from Raleigh, will star in the production. Terrence Mann, WCU’s Plemmons Distinguished Professor of Musical Theatre, will direct.

Tickets are $20 for adults; $15 for faculty, staff and seniors; and $10 for students. To order tickets, or for more information about the season, call the Bardo Arts Center box office at 828.227.2479 or go online at bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.